The training ground was unusually quiet after the sparring session. Uchiha Izumi clutched her arm, the pain throbbing in sharp pulses with every step. She kept glancing around nervously, half-expecting the ninja she'd fought earlier to appear again. Not wanting to push her luck, she decided it was best to leave quickly.
Dragging her injured arm close to her chest, she muttered through clenched teeth, "I need to treat this… it hurts so much."
She quickened her pace toward home, thinking only of rest and some makeshift bandaging. But just as she rounded a corner, a familiar figure appeared right in front of her.
"Izumi."
The sudden voice startled her. "Ah? Eh? Itachi? What are you doing here? Are you on vacation?"
Uchiha Itachi, calm as ever, gave a small nod. "Yes. I'm on leave for a short while."
His gaze swept over her, sharp and observant as always. It didn't take him long to notice how she was holding her arm. His eyes narrowed and he stepped closer. "What happened? You're injured?"
Before she could answer, he reached out and took her wrist gently but firmly, pulling her hand toward him to inspect the wound. His eyes widened slightly. "This isn't a small scratch, Izumi. Come with me to the hospital."
"Eh? No, really—it's nothing serious," she said quickly, trying to wave it off. "I can recover on my own. My body heals fast."
But Itachi's expression turned serious, his tone carrying no room for argument. "You can't ignore this. If the injury heals poorly, it could leave lingering effects. That would be dangerous for your ninja career."
She opened her mouth to protest again, but before she could finish, he suddenly bent down and scooped her into his arms.
"W–Wait!?" Her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized he was carrying her in a princess carry. "Eh—Itachi! I can walk on my own!"
"Don't talk," he said flatly, leaping onto the nearest rooftop. "We'll be there soon."
Izumi's face burned. She didn't dare move, afraid that struggling would make them both fall. Her body went stiff, though she could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
'Why does this feel so… weird? Calm down, Izumi. Remember—this guy is the future murderer of your clan. He's dangerous. Don't read into this!'
Still, despite her mental warnings, she found herself sneaking a glance at his profile. His expression was as unreadable as always, focused solely on moving forward.
But inside, Itachi was anything but calm. His own heartbeat was racing for reasons he couldn't fully understand. The moment he saw her hurt, something inside him had panicked, and before he knew it, he was carrying her. Now he didn't dare put her down—he just kept looking straight ahead, trying to ignore the soft warmth in his arms and the faint scent of her hair.
'She's… so light,' he thought. 'And… she smells nice…'
They arrived at the hospital sooner than she expected. As his feet touched the ground, both of them let out small sighs of relief—though for very different reasons. He set her down gently, guided her to the registration desk, and found a doctor to treat her injury.
Within minutes, her arm was cleaned, bandaged, and wrapped securely.
"Thanks, Itachi," she said quietly.
"It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head. "We're friends. This is what I should do."
The words hung in the air between them. Neither spoke for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
Nearby, two nurses whispered to each other, just loud enough for the pair to overhear.
"Hey, did you see that? The boy carried her here—princess style!" one nurse gushed. "I'm older than them and no man's ever carried me like that!"
"Really? How old do you think they are?" the other asked, sneaking a glance at Izumi and Itachi.
"Kids these days," the first nurse sighed dreamily.
Both Izumi and Itachi heard every word. Their heads lowered in unison, faces heating up.
'Great,' Izumi thought bitterly. 'Now it looks like we're some couple…'
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Itachi, I'll go home first. Thanks again."
"Go home and rest," he said firmly. "Don't train until it's fully healed. Recover quickly."
"Mhm." She swung her legs over the side of the bed, but the moment she tried to stand, Itachi was already at her side, holding her arm to steady her.
From across the room, one of the nurses whispered again, "Ah, that boy is so gentle."
"Yes," the other agreed. "So caring at such a young age."
Izumi wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she decided to turn the situation around. She glanced sideways at the nurses, then said to Itachi in a deliberately loud voice, "I won't ask you for a gift this time, but next time you will give me the one you owe me. It's too cheeky of you to always delay."
Still flustered from the nurses' comments, Itachi blurted out without thinking, "Next time."
'Gotcha,' Izumi thought triumphantly, sneaking a look at the nurses' curious faces. "Why is it always 'next time'?"
He hesitated. "Because… because…" His voice faltered, then he blurted it out before he could stop himself. "Because if I gave it to you, you wouldn't have a reason to ask me again. I… like it when you talk to me first. It's… cute."
The words hit her like a shuriken to the chest. She froze, eyes wide.
From across the room came the sound of muffled squeals. "Oh my god—did you hear that?!" one nurse whispered excitedly. "He's already flirting at that age!"
Izumi snapped back to reality, her face burning bright red. "Ah—!" She covered her cheeks and bolted from the room, too embarrassed to look back.
'Why did I say that?!' Itachi groaned inwardly, wanting to smack himself. Unable to face her reaction, he also hurried out, both of them disappearing down opposite hallways.
---
Outside the hospital, Izumi found a quiet corner and crouched down, kicking the wall in frustration.
"That guy! Flirting with me in public like that—how annoying!" She groaned, feeling the heat in her cheeks intensify. "And why am I blushing? Ugh!"
She buried her face in her hands. "Ahhhh! So many people saw! I actually ran away—this is humiliating!"
Taking a deep breath, she clenched her fists. "Fine, Uchiha Itachi. If the Uchiha Clan survives, I'll let you live. But if not… I'll kill you myself. And I'll make sure it's… interesting."
---
When she got home, Uchiha Hazuki had been waiting to ask about the sake Izumi had brought earlier. But the moment she saw her daughter's bandaged arm, the questions vanished.
"What happened?!" Hazuki demanded, pulling her inside for a thorough inspection.
"It's nothing serious," Izumi reassured her. "Just a training injury. I'll heal quickly—you know Dad's bloodline gives me fast recovery."
Hazuki narrowed her eyes. "And the sake?"
Izumi laughed nervously. "Oh, that. It's my trophy from a mission. When I opened it, the smell was really nice, so I took a sip. It made me feel… comfortable."
Her mother's frown deepened.
"Yes, yes—I know," Izumi added quickly. "I won't drink again until I'm an adult."
After some scolding, she handed over the half-full jar to her mother. Once Hazuki left, Izumi flopped onto her bed—only to immediately sit back up and pull out her stash of talismans.
"I still have too few of the stronger ones," she muttered. "I'll need to stock up… maybe a trip to the black market soon."
---
A few days later, Sarutobi Muraki invited her and the team for a meal. When they arrived, the table was covered in lavish seafood dishes.
"Whoa!" Yamamoto Kawa's eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands together. "Sensei really went all out this time!"
Akido Jiro, the team's bottomless pit, could barely keep still, his eyes glued to the food as he waited for permission to start.
Even Izumi's usual composure cracked at the sight. The colorful spread looked delicious, and the rich aroma filled the air.
Muraki smiled at their anticipation. "Alright—let's eat."
In an instant, Yamamoto and Jiro were battling over the crab legs like rival clans. Muraki ate slowly, with the poise of an elder, while Izumi picked delicately at her food, suppressing her laughter as the boys bickered.
By the end of the meal, Muraki set down his chopsticks and looked at them seriously. "It's been almost a year since you all started working together. Izumi may have joined later, but her progress has been remarkable. That's why I've decided—you will participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams."
"Eh? Really?!" Yamamoto's jaw nearly hit the table.
Muraki nodded. "I've already signed you up."
"Yesss!" Yamamoto and Jiro high-fived enthusiastically..
"But," Muraki added with a sharp look, "this means your training will be stricter from now on. Understood?"
"Yes, Sensei!" they chorused.
As they left the restaurant, Izumi hummed a cheerful tune, skipping lightly down the road toward home.
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